


mistlehoe

by dejakyu (dietsoba)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Christmas Party, Getting Together, It's all in good fun, Kissing, M/M, Minor Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho, Mistletoe, Questionable Plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21669496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dietsoba/pseuds/dejakyu
Summary: There is little Minseok won’t do to finally get his hands on Baekhyun and if that means sabotaging the office Christmas party, then so be it.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 17
Kudos: 68
Collections: Round 3: Autumn and Winter - On the Snow





	mistlehoe

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt Flake** #186:  
> A (Minseok) plans a Christmas party, decorating with tons of mistletoe just to be able to kiss B. A ends up kissing the majority of the people who attend.
> 
> **Author's Note:**
> 
> Thank you, dear prompter, for submitting this. This fic is the first thing I've ever handed in before the deadline in a very long time, I'm very proud.
> 
> Big thanks to the mods and my awesome betas, B & S. I hope you enjoy! <3
> 
> (My title is great and you know it.)

Minseok climbed up the rickety ladder he had found in the banquet hall’s back room for the umpteenth time that afternoon. He was nearly finished decorating the banquet hall they’d rented out before the office Christmas party, just in time for the party to begin. He rifled through the bag of ribbons, tinsel, and ornaments he had slung over his shoulder, pulling out a small bough of mistletoe attached to a long gold string. With practiced ease of having done it countless times, he hung the bough from one of the hall’s many cedarwood beams, carefully adjusting the bow so that the mistletoe was low enough to be noticed by those beneath. He was admiring his handiwork when the ladder jerked, nearly giving him a heart attack.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Jongdae asked sceptically, as Minseok stepped down the ladder towards him. "Because this doesn't sound anything like revenge. In fact–"

"You need to hold the ladder properly, Jongdae, I nearly fell," Minseok said, cutting him off. He wasn’t eager to have the conversation Jongdae kept trying to begin all afternoon and was still doing his best to keep it from happening.

Without another word, Minseok gestured for Jongdae to move the ladder along so he could continue weaving tinsel around the beam and hang the next sprig of mistletoe. He was nearly done tying a bow of gold ribbon when the ladder shook again. Now he was sure Jongdae was doing it on purpose.

“Look,” Minseok said, carefully stepping down, “I just want to embarrass him a little, give him a taste of his own medicine after what happened this past Halloween.” Jongdae still didn’t look all that impressed with his explanation, so he added, “Think of it this way, there’s a chance he might enjoy it, who knows?”

Jongdae’s expression went from unimpressed to withering, the same look he'd been giving Minseok ever since he’d roped him into helping with this plan. The amount of whining Minseok had endured when he volunteered the two of them to be on the decorating committee for their annual office Christmas party  _ again _ was unbearable, and only worsened when Minseok explained his reason for doing so.

"I'm just saying, if you want to get your ‘revenge’ on Baekhyun, or whatever it is you actually want from him, there are better ways to do so. Sure, your ridiculous stunt may get you what you want because of how stupidly thorough it is,” Jongdae said, looking pointedly around at the sprigs of mistletoe that hung throughout the entire hall, "but the rest of the office is going to have to suffer as well."

"You say that like spontaneous kissing is a bad thing. I personally think it’s more fun this way and anyone with a problem can take it up with me. It’s not like I’m going to force people to kiss. I’m sure you could even have fun with this yourself if you got that stick out of your ass,” 

Jongdae ignored him, pulling out his phone to make a few texts. Minseok waited with his arms crossed, anyone Jongdae texted to warn them would still have to be there anyway.

"Do you really think Baekhyun is going to be caught dead under the mistletoe with you? He’s been avoiding you for weeks in fear of your wrath because of his late articles. Barring that, this sort of thing hardly embarrasses him, this is  _ Baekhyun  _ we're talking about," Jongdae informed him, as if he didn’t already know.

Minseok jut out his bottom lip to pout. "Jongdae, are you on my side or not? All you have to do is help me hang these and then help coerce and/or convince Baekhyun to get under the mistletoe with me so I can take him apart with my mouth. It’s really not that difficult.”

“Have you ever tried forcing him to do anything _? _ ”

“Look, he achieved the impossible and managed to scare me on Halloween in front of everyone and has been hiding from me ever since. If I can't achieve the impossible and fluster him when he’s in his element, then what's the point? I need closure, Jongdae, and I will have it,” Minseok declared with finality.

After that, Minseok took his bag of decorations and started winding tinsel around the hall’s cedar columns, adding large ribbons where appropriate. Jongdae followed closely behind so their voices didn't echo around the empty banquet hall, holding out pieces of tape for him. 

Jongdae continued arguing his point in a low voice, "No one thought he'd be able to scare you on Halloween and we  _ all _ put in effort, it wasn’t just him. You can’t tell me there isn’t more to this because I know you can be petty but you’re not  _ that _ petty."

"I’m glad you think so highly of me,” Minseok said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “My pride was wounded; he deserves something like this after all of the ridiculous things he's done to you and everyone else. I see it as killing two birds with one stone."

"No, what you’re doing is like trying to kill one bird with a catapult of gravel without thinking about the number of casualties," Jongdae stated bluntly. “Please, just tell me whatever it is you’re not telling me, or I swear will take this, the only roll of tape we have left, and leave."

It was just like Jongdae to not only be right, but to also find some kind of leverage to get what he wanted.

Sure, Minseok was out to get Baekhyun and had been for a while, but not for the reason everyone thought. Everyone got scared every now and then and it didn’t particularly embarrass him. Minseok had actually found the fact that they thought him impossible to scare hilarious and it made them all predictable in their attempts.

No, what he wanted were answers and a retaliation for what Baekhyun had  _ actually _ done that night. The one thing he hadn’t told anyone about Halloween was that, just before Baekhyun had succeeded in scaring him, he had lowered Minseok’s guard by stepping into his space and boldly giving him a quick kiss on the mouth. An unexpected kiss by the man he’d been crushing on for months caused him to lower his guard enough that any surprise was enough to jolt him.

Afterwards, and much to his dismay, Baekhyun had avoided him like the plague. He rarely came in to the office for weeks, submitting his articles and research via email to Minseok’s secretary. Baekhyun had been a little flaky up until this point with his appearances, but he had never ignored Minseok point blank. As time passed, it was obvious that his absence had nothing to do with his job and more to do with Minseok. Minseok had simply decided he needed an equally big occasion to get Baekhyun to square up and tell him what was going on.

“Do I really need to explain?” he asked Jongdae, knowing that, if he did, Jongdae would just tell him to speak with Baekhyun face to face and leave everyone else out of it. On the other hand, if he did say that, Minseok would point out the fact that everyone had participated in trying to scare him, so he was still valid.

“I swear to god; I am so done with you. The both of you, always dragging me into things,” Jongdae muttered as he held out yet another piece of tape for Minseok.

Minseok gave him a pretty smile to placate him. "On the bright side, we might get to see him under it with someone amusing, like Kyungsoo. The whole plan has great entertainment potential for everyone, last year’s party was boring."

Jongdae frowned. "I planned the one last year."

"Yes, and it was boring," Minseok said succinctly, finishing off another column. "The mistletoe is a huge party game that we can all play however we want. You might even be able to drag Junmyeon under a few times once he's too tipsy to care who watches."

"What happens if Baekhyun watches you kissing someone under it?" Jongdae asked.

"Then he watches me do it and wishes it was him," Minseok said with a shrug.

Jongdae’s brows lowered in confusion. “Are you trying to make him embarrassed or jealous? Or do you just want an excuse to stick your tongue in his mouth?"

"All of the above and more," Minseok said with confidence, “and I have every intention of succeeding.”

Jongdae rubbed his forehead and dragged his hand down his face. "You know what? No, we’re not doing this. The party starts in five minutes, let's take all of these down so we can have a normal part–"

As Jongdae spoke, the door slammed open and the first few people arrived. Minseok stood abruptly, putting the rest of his decorating supplies in the bag to stow away for later. "It's too late now Jongdae, just leave it be."

Jongdae groaned. “I hope you know what you’re doing, because your crush on Baekhyun, or whatever it is, might involve me kissing my not-boyfriends tonight and making my boyfriend upset and  _ I do not want that _ ,” he snapped and then walked over to the door to greet whoever had just arrived.

Truth be told, Minseok didn't mind kissing his co-workers all that much, but he probably should have thought a bit more about how everyone else might feel about it, especially given Jongdae’s last comment. But it was too late now. At least it'd make an interesting story to tell afterwards. There were a few people he’d love to see under the mistletoe for sheer amusement, and everyone else working at S Magazine was fairly good natured and progressive. It should be fine.  _ It will be fine,  _ he told himself.

Jongdae jogged back to Minseok, following him into the kitchens where Kyungsoo, editor of the magazine’s food column, was ordering a few of their younger co-workers around the kitchen like they were actual kitchen staff and not volunteers from the magazine they all worked at.

“Was just talking to Junmyeon,” Jongdae said once the door had closed behind them, unable to keep the warm smile from his face he always wore when talking about his boyfriend.

Minseok was so done with Jongdae, Junmyeon, and their honeymoon phase. “And? What did our dear Editor-In-Chief say?” he prompted.

“He said that he won’t kill you for doing this, but if he ends up under the mistletoe with you, you’re fired. He also told me not to leave his side for the rest of the night.” 

“I don’t bite,” Minseok said, knowing that he was definitely going to figure out a way to kiss Junmyeon now.

Jongdae ignored him and glanced over at Kyungsoo, who had paused and was looking at them with suspicion. He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “He also recommends you stay far away from Kyungsoo and keep him in the kitchen if you want us all to end this night alive.”

Minseok wanted to inform him that he’d asked Kyungsoo to take care of the cooking for that exact purpose but decided to leave things at that. “Sure, sure. Go tend to your boyfriend, I’ll go put these out.”

Jongdae needed no telling twice and was out the kitchen door in a flash.

“I’m taking these out to the hors d'oeuvres table,” Jongdae called out to Kyungsoo, who nodded and went back to stirring the soup.

Minseok stepped out into the banquet hall, finally able to admire his handiwork in peace. The large cedarwood-panelled banquet hall looked perfect, even with the low-budget he’d been given. Their old trees were dressed up in the corners, the tables all had centrepieces, tinsel and lights were everywhere, and, most importantly, mistletoe hung low from the beams criss-crossing the ceiling at regular intervals throughout the entire room. The magazine had a lot of people running it and almost as many honoured guests, so he was glad it looked this good period. Now, it was time for the fun to begin.

–

It didn't take long for the first kiss of the evening to happen, in fact, he should have expected it with the amount of mistletoe around the room.

He and Jongdae were in the middle of moving a table over to where the desserts would later be displayed. Minseok hadn't realized that the place where Jongdae was moving was directly underneath a particularly large mistletoe arrangement. When Jongdae followed Minseok’s gaze and saw it too, he laughed for a moment, but turned quickly to go get the other tables. Apparently, he hadn't understood how serious Minseok was taking this game. There was no way Jongdae was getting out of kissing him.

Minseok put down his half of the table carefully and caught Jongdae’s wrist as he tried to brush past him. “Don’t think so,” Minseok quipped. He pulled Jongdae back, spun him, and cupped Jongdae’s jaw with his free hand. He relished in Jongdae’s brief look of surprise before he pressed their lips together.

It wasn't a long kiss, but it definitely wasn't short–Minseok promised himself that every kiss he gave that night was going to be from the heart. When he backed off, licking his lips, he found Jongdae staring at him, utterly speechless. Minseok couldn’t help but laugh at how cute Jongdae looked as his expression faltered between shock and anger, his eyebrows quivering up and down.

"Tonight's not going to end well if you keep at it like that," Jongdae said once Minseok let him go. He made a point of wiping his mouth, which Minseok found to be a bit extra.

"I love you too."

After that, Jongdae refused to speak to him more than absolutely necessary and kept all conversations strictly about party details. Jongdae did have to endure Minseok’s suggestive smiles and nearly fell for several of Minseok’s attempts to trick him into thinking he was standing beneath another sprig. Most of the time, though, they were kept busy by all of the work still to be done for the party, carrying things to and from the kitchen, making sure nothing on any of the tables was running low. Of course, while separated, Minseok went out of his way to follow along the path of mistletoe whenever he wasn’t holding trays of cheese or fruit. Jongdae, on the other hand, avoided them like the plague.

The magazine’s cheap Christmas party was a tradition Junmyeon was particularly fond of, so it was a big occasion every year. They could afford an extravagant party in a more expensive venue, but he thought doing it like this had more charm. Cheap as it was, most of the magazine’s employees from the top down showed up and got the chance to mingle with people they rarely encountered. Because of that, the number of awkward kisses currently going on, on the lips or otherwise, was endlessly amusing to Minseok.

Minseok's next victim came about when he had to narrowly avoid knocking into someone's wine glass after putting down a plate of mini quiches and hurrying back to the kitchen for more. In the process of avoiding an unfortunate purple dress shirt, he found himself crashing into Chanyeol, one of the magazine’s many photographers. As soon as he did so, his gaze went up. Sure enough, there was a delicate arrangement of mistletoe hanging above. As fun as his game was, Jongdae had been smart about purposefully avoiding it while trying to work

"Oh sor–" Chanyeol said by means of apology before he, too, was looking up.

_ Well,  _ Minseok thought in resignation,  _ might as well have fun with it. _ He stepped closer to Chanyeol, looking up so that they could lock eyes. He put on his famed cat-like smile and enjoyed Chanyeol’s internal panicking, his eyes flicking to and from Minseok’s face.

"Mistletoe." Minseok explained, in case there was any further need for clarification.

Chanyeol swallowed, "Yeah, I can see that."

Minseok took in Chanyeol’s twisting hand and obvious discomfort but he didn’t miss the way Chanyeol’s eyes flicked towards Minseok’s lips as he licked his own.  _ Yes,  _ Minseok thought,  _ this is going to be fun. _

"I suppose you know what that means," Minseok said aloud.

"Minseok please, people are starting to pay attention. Can we just not?" Chanyeol begged. Minseok only smiled wider.

Chanyeol was right, people were starting to stare, but that was the whole point; it came with the territory. If he wanted to truly sell this gimmick, he, as the mastermind, had to follow through with it. "No can do,” he said, “ the number one rule of this party is that if you end up under the mistletoe, you have to kiss. No buts. Doesn't have to be the lips, but where's the fun in that." Minseok made sure he had been loud enough that he could be heard by everyone around them. The rules had been posted here and there in high-traffic areas, but sometimes rules needed a little reinforcing.

Minseok turned to Chanyeol and stepped in close, filling the gap Chanyeol had placed between them. He put his hands on Chanyeol's chest, aware he shouldn't go too far with this, despite how much fun it seemed–he had other priorities tonight. With one hand on Chanyeol's shoulder and the other behind his neck, Minseok stood on his toes to pulled Chanyeol's face down.

“This okay?” Minseok asked. Kissing Jongdae unprompted was how they worked, anyone else was foreign territory.

Chanyeol hesitated for a moment, but he still whispered, “Yes.”

Minseok wasted no time pressed their mouths together, sliding their lips together until Chanyeol melted into the kiss. He placed his hands on Minseok’s hips and made a muffled noise when Minseok bit his lip. Minseok didn’t give him any more than that, but Chanyeol seemed quite pleased when Minseok stepped back. He looked as if he’d woken up from a pleasant dream, hands itching forward, seeking more. His gaze kept straying to Minseok's lips before he shook his head and put his eyes elsewhere.

"You like that?" Minseok asked, despite himself. He was trying hard to keep from laughing at how cute Chanyeol was in his confusion.

"Is there more where that came from?" Chanyeol asked hoarsely.

"Sorry, one per customer," he told Chanyeol, who looked mildly disappointed but not surprised. Chanyeol was cute, but tonight wasn’t for him.

Minseok patted his shoulder and walked back to the kitchen. He had two kisses down but the night was only beginning. He did hope, though, that Chanyeol would find someone whose kiss he liked just as much.

Mere seconds after he thought that, he ran into one of the company's interns under yet another sprig of mistletoe. He had no one to blame but himself for being so careless.

The interns were the one group he had been actively avoiding and he was upset with himself for letting this happen. He didn't really mind kissing the older employees that he knew better, but kissing the new ones who might not even stay with them? It wasn’t quite as enticing. He wasn’t some kissing monster and they were all so young. 

"Mark?" he asked with dread, not knowing why he was bothering to ask because it was obviously him.

Mark only nodded, making Minseok feel even worse.

In the end, he made up a new rule and gave Mark a quick peck on the cheek after pointing at the bundle above so that he knew what was going on and could consent to it. Minseok took solace in the fact that, while he was a bit pink, he looked nowhere near as phased as Chanyeol had.

From then on, Minseok forced himself to create a more detailed mental map of where each bough of mistletoe was hanging so he could finish setting up without any more incidents. He needed to be selective about who he ran into, which included avoiding Chanyeol, who looked suspiciously like he was trying to catch Minseok under the mistletoe again.

"Not gonna happen," he mouthed to Chanyeol after foiling his latest attempt. Chanyeol looked a little put out, but, at that very moment, he was the least of Minseok's problems.

Minseok’s eyes zeroed in on the person currently walking through the door. There was no mistaking that cap of bubble-gum pink hair above a familiar coat and scarf, looking far too cute for Minseok’s liking; Baekhyun was finally here and Minseok was finally going to get what he came here for, because he certainly wasn’t here for the inevitable pair of Christmas-themed socks he’d receive through the office Secret Santa.

Minseok carried on with his work, keeping his eye on Baekhyun, who was handing his coat to Yixing, their Chinese dance correspondent who had wound up in coat check when they were drawing names for positions without volunteers.

Minseok couldn’t decide whether or not he wanted to greet Baekhyun first or wait until he approached. Eventually he decided to wait; he was Baekhyun’s direct superior and should be approached first out of respect, or so Minseok thought.

“Hey,” a voice sounded from behind him. Minseok spun around to face Baekhyun, looking wonderful in his soft grey suit. Apparently Minseok had been right in his thinking.

Minseok smiled. “Baekhyun, you made it!”

“Yeah, well, I could hardly miss the Christmas party, Junmyeon would kill me. He’s been paying far more attention to me ever since he started dating Jongdae,” Baekhyun said, frowning in their boss’s direction.

“Maybe he wouldn’t need to pay as much attention if you handed in your articles on time,” Minseok said, before he could think about what was coming out of his mouth.

Baekhyun flinched. “Yeah, about that, I’ll have this week’s done by tomorrow morning, I promise. I’ve been a bit…yeah, but I’ll get it in.”

“No, that wasn’t what I–” Minseok said, his heart sinking.

“It’s fine, it’s my bad for leaving it.”

Minseok put up a hand to stop Baekhyun from continuing his apology. “Today is the Christmas party, don’t worry about work and enjoy all of the food Kyungsoo slaved over for us. One more word about work and I’ll arrange an unfortunate meeting for you under the mistletoe.”

Baekhyun blinked, expression brightening at the notion of no work talk and food. Then it slowly dawned on him what Minseok had meant by mistletoe. His eyes scanned the room. His gaze caught on Sungmin, one of the people in charge of the magazine’s YouTube channel, kissing his wife under the mistletoe, and then on a sweet exchange between Donghae and Sehun, two well-known work friends.

“Wow…that is a  _ lot _ of mistletoe,” Baekhyun remarked.

“Yep, I thought it might be fun this way.”

Baekhyun side-eyed him, “This was your idea?”

“I  _ am _ in charge of decorations this year.”

“I don’t know if ‘fun’ is the right word,” Baekhyun said with a short laugh, “but I suppose it is interesting.”

“Right? One never knows how something like this might turn out.”

Baekhyun suddenly jolted and then reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone, frowning at whatever he saw on the screen.

“I have to go and reply to this, sorry Minseok, I’ll see ya around,” Baekhyun said, already walking away and giving him a quick wave.

Minseok was left there standing and staring at Baekhyun’s retreating back until Jongdae hit him in the ass with an empty tray and ran away cackling before Baekhyun could hit him in retaliation.

When he took on the job of organizing the party, Minseok hadn’t realized just how much work he was going to be doing during it. There was a constant need to make sure everything was running smoothly and, after roping him into his grand scheme, he could hardly make Jongdae do all of it, especially not while dodging the mistletoe like the plague.

On the bright side, keeping track of how the party was running also let him observe how his game was being received by everyone in attendance. As expected, many people were not particularly happy about the amount of intimate physical content this party seemed to require, gravitating towards the edges of the room or staying seated as much as possible.

Good sports and those who weren’t as averse to the party’s concept but were also not keen on kissing everyone they met, began a game. It seemed to be something like truth or kiss. Others had simply settled for cheek kisses, which was also acceptable.

The real problem was the people who took the opportunity of meeting under the mistletoe to enter a gross display of public affection that involved far too much tongue than was generally acceptable at office parties. Minseok himself had several issues with this, the first being the fact that he, as an organizer, didn’t want that sort of expectation to be established. His second issue was the fact that Kyungsoo had taken to emerging from the kitchen and breaking them up by banging a pot as he stood beside them. He was glad it generally stopped after the time he happened to be holding a knife while yelling and it had caused general chaos.

Minseok was more or less casual about his occasional meetings, but, much like with Mark, there were a few that were definitely more uncomfortable than the rest. For example, when one of his favourite reporters, a senior in a different department, ran into him by the Christmas tree, he was at a loss for words. He kept to his word and kissed Changmin like he meant it, even if he was screaming internally the entire time he did so.

Another incident was when Minseok got caught up in a contest between two of their newer employees, Sehun and Jongin, regarding who was a better kisser. Minseok had a strong feeling that it was just a ploy to kiss him them more than once, since they didn’t seem to care much about who won.

In need of a small reprieve, Minseok made a trip to the bar for just one glass. He sat next to Kyuhyun, one of his drinking buddies and a profit analyst for the magazine. It was only after the bartender had given him his drink that he realized he was under yet another bough. Kyuhyun groaned.

“Why don’t you just sit somewhere else?” Minseok asked in a similar tone.

“The bar was full until now, I’ve been doing something else to get people off my back.”

Minseok was a little curious about everyone’s alternatives to the kisses so he decided to hear him out. “What do you mean by that?”

“Love shots,” Kyuhyun said, holding his glass.

Minseok supposed he could do that. It involved something wet, mouths, and intimacy on top of alcohol. “Ready when you are.”

After their drink–Minseok only had a few mouthfuls knowing he had to drive–something caught Kyuhyun’s eye. He stretched his neck to get a better look and said, “Jongdae’s staring at you and looks quite unimpressed. What did you do?”

“Everything. I better go see him. See you Saturday,” Minseok said, standing. Kyuhyun gave him a wave and Minseok made his way across the room.

“Hello again Casanova,” Jongdae drawled from the other side of the dessert table, not looking up from his task of rearranging the Christmas cookies. “You’re currently the talk of the entire party. Everyone is either raving about your kissing skills, trying to catch you to experience said kissing skills, enjoy watching you exhibit your kissing skills, or avoid you like the plague.”

“Am I really that much of a menace?” Minseok asked, giving several furtive glances around the room. He thought he wasn’t doing a terrible job, all things considered. He’d even broken his own rule.

Jongdae looked up from the cookies, conveying with his entire face exactly how unimpressed he was. “Apparently your masterful powers of observation stop working when it comes to things surrounding you,” he remarked.

Minseok laughed, causing Jongdae to frown. That was obviously not the reaction he expected. “Let them watch, I want word of this to spread. The whole point is to catch Baekhyun’s attention. The sexier he finds me, the better.”

“What I’m saying is that I really don’t want to be you when we all have to go back to work on Monday. Everyone is either going to be half in love with you or resent you, and that’s excluding what Baekhyun might think about this.” Jongdae gestured around the room to emphasize his point but Minseok refused to look.

“Oh, you’re no fun. I miss the you from before you started dating a sweater vest,” Minseok said, leaning over the table and pouting.

“A very sweet sweater vest with glorious abs,” Jongdae corrected, getting that sickeningly sweet look he always got when talking about his boyfriend.

“You are disgusting.”

“To each their own,” Jongdae said. “You’re the one in love with the chaos that is Byun Baekhyun. Now leave, I don’t want people coming over here looking to kiss you under this stupidly placed mistletoe. I’m having enough trouble keeping down my lunch watching you stick your tongue down other people’s throats from a distance.”

“Don’t lie Jongdae, you seemed to enjoy it when I did it to you. And I only stick my tongue in if they kiss well enough to deserve the best.”

“That’s neither here nor there. Now go.”

Minseok would have stayed and bothered his friend longer but Baekhyun was on the move again and he had another chance to catch him before he ran into someone else. That is until Minseok nearly bumped into another familiar face directly under another bough of mistletoe and completely lost sight of Baekhyun.

“Junmyeon!” Minseok exclaimed with feigned delight at seeing his boss.

Junmyeon didn’t respond, he merely looked up, then down at Minseok, then closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. “Minseok, look, you might be my boyfriend’s best friend, but I’d really rather not. He told me why you’re doing this, but can’t we just pretend–”

“No, can do,” Minseok said, cutting him off. He was well aware that Jongdae was going to murder him if he kissed Junmyeon, but if he let one person go, he risked the chance of other people asking for a repreive. Baekhyun was not getting away, so neither was Junmyeon.

“Please, I’ll do anything,” Junmyeon pleaded.

Minseok gave him a smile full of pity. “Look at it this way, if you kiss me now, you won’t have to do ‘anything’. Besides, I’ve already kissed Jongdae, this way you’re even.”

Junmyeon’s expression went stormy for a moment, but the tension in his shoulders eased almost as soon as it appeared. Minseok and Jongdae had made it clear that things were explicitly platonic between them.

“Please make it fast,” Junmyeon said, clearly miserable.

Minseok beamed at him and didn’t hesitate when he pulled him in to kiss him, keeping his hands on Junmyeon’s stupidly thick biceps–he knew where his limits lay. Even so, he was close enough with Jongdae to know what Junmyeon liked, and he could tell his skills did not go unnoticed.

“So?” Minseok asked when he was finished.

Junmyeon wore an amusingly sour expression and said, “I hate this. Why are you so good at kissing? I can’t even be mad at you.”

“Join the party,” Jongdae mumbled as he walked past them both, grabbing Junmyeon by the wrist and dragging him along and away from Minseok.

Minseok laughed to himself as they made their way to their table only to see something he wished he hadn’t. Baekhyun was in the middle of an animated conversation with Heechul, from their social media department. Baekhyun looked so happy it made his stomach twist with envy, especially when they shared a quick kiss. The two were just friends, everyone knew that, but that did little to help Minseok’s mood.

–

“Hey, um,” Joohyun, said, suddenly grabbing Minseok’s and turning him around. He’d been talking to her after catching her under the mistletoe. She pleaded with him not to kiss her because she was also trying hard to catch someone under the mistletoe and had been making a point of kissing only girls. After she made her case, Minseok felt it was only fair if he told her he was doing the same. They were in the middle of wishing each other luck when she had interrupted him mid-sentence. 

“What are you doing?” Minseok asked, puzzled.

She pointed off to the left, turning him even further. “Look over there,” she instructed quickly.

Following her line of sight, Minseok looked just in time to see Baekhyun happily kissing…Jongdae. He was kissing Jongdae and now Jongdae was meeting his gaze, licking into Baekhyun’s mouth as he did so. He flashed Minseok the finger before separating from an impressed and amused looking Baekhyun. Jongdae licked his lips, looking disgustingly smug, and looked over at Junmyeon, and then back at Minseok. This was his revenge.

Yeah Minseok probably deserved that, but Baekhyun deserved a better kiss than whatever Jongdae could put out. If he was that amazed by someone of Jongdae’s calibre, he clearly hadn’t been kissed by the right people yet. Minseok would figure out how to deal with Jongdae after he got what he wanted.

Not five minutes later, Jongdae himself sat down in the chair beside Minseok, who had finally been able to get food and eat. “Jealous much? Your eyes were practically green,” he observed, clearly amused.

Minseok remained silent. He was still trying to decide whether or not he still had a friend named Jongdae. At least his kisses with both Jongdae and Junmyeon had been relatively chaste, Jongdae had nearly eaten Baekhyun alive–there were certainly no tongue exchanges.

“Minseok, anyone who saw you watching would say the same. I saw you out of the corner of my eye and poor Joohyun looked so panicked she obviously didn’t know what to do with you. Baekhyun and I kissed like that as a joke to see who was better, like you did with Jongin and Sehun. Obviously, I won.”

“Jooh-”

“Never mind about her, she looks happy enough under the mistletoe with Seulgi by the dessert table,” Jongdae said, nodding over in her direction. Sure enough, she was getting exactly what she deserved, and possibly more. Minseok smiled.

“No,” Jongdae huffed, “don’t look at the love birds, look over  _ there. _ ” Jongdae physically turned Minseok’s head in the right direction until he saw what Jongdae was so frantic about. He was a little tired of being manhandled like this.

Baekhyun was standing beneath the mistletoe once again, this time with his arms around Sehun’s neck. He was standing on his toes to reach Sehun’s mouth in a kiss that was perhaps a second or two longer than Minseok thought was appropriate, even by his standards.

“I think your little plan is backfiring,” Jongdae remarked.

“In what way?”

“It’s obviously making you incredibly irritated and jealous. You’re torturing yourself.”

“This is merely to psych myself up. I am a confident man, secure in my own abilities. Besides, you and I both know that Baekhyun and I have more going on than just this. I’m just using it as an opportunity to break past all of that awkwardness.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come here quick and kiss me again,” Jongdae ordered, reaching out for Minseok.

Minseok caught his arm. “Why?”

“Just do it, you won’t regret it. Plus, I’m in a stable relationship and your skills aren’t  _ that _ great.”

Minseok gave him a  _ look _ .

“Ok fine, maybe you are but here–”

Jongdae wrenched him into a rough kiss, nearly mashing their noses together. While they adjusted to something more comfortable, Minseok immediately went to re-establish his superior skills in the art of kissing. It took a moment for him to register a loud crashing sound somewhere in the hall and pull away to check to see what damage was–he was still responsible for running things.

What he laid eyes on was Baekhyun being helped off the floor by an upset-looking Junmyeon. Minseok had absolutely no idea what had just occurred and looked to Jongdae for some kind of explanation, because the way Junmyeon was currently looking at him made him question whether or not he would still have a job by the end of this party.

“What was that?” Minseok hissed, grabbing Jongdae’s forearm before he could run away. 

Jongdae was making some kind of non-verbal communication with Junmyeon but turned back to answer his question. “Baekhyun was on his way here with Junmyeon. I figured if I hit him with some context–by context I mean an obvious display meant to incite jealousy–it might push him in the right direction.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

“Hopefully logic that will lead to me not having my head bitten off and your tongue in his mouth because I’m done with this whole business. You’re on your own from here.” With that Jongdae was hurrying after Junmyeon so he could do damage control.

Minseok wished Jongdae’s retreating back luck before he looked around for any sign of Baekhyun. His heart sank when the object of his affections seemed to have disappeared yet again _. _ The party was nearing its end and he had only been able to have one short conversation with him. He was beginning to worry if he was going to fail entirely and have to go with plan B, which was to blatantly confess to him in the middle of the office. In retrospect, it seemed like a much better, but less fun idea. Either way, he was already committed to this one and intended to see it out.

**_–_ **

After one more bout with Chanyeol, whom he failed in evading in his desperation to finally catch Baekhyun before this damned party was over, Minseok found himself face to face with Kyungsoo, mistletoe overhead. He felt himself pale just as Kyungsoo began to redden.

“Oh no, I’ve had enough of this,” Kyungsoo said firmly, pushing Minseok away. “I can’t stand it, you can’t stand it, none of us can stand it. You’re coming with me.”

“Wha–” Minseok began before he resigned himself to his fate. He didn’t fear an untimely death because he was well aware that Kyungsoo wasn’t actually livid about any of this, elsewise he would have cut them all down as soon as he realized what was happening.

Minseok let himself be manhandled over to the mistletoe hanging just above the hallway leading off to the bathrooms. There weren’t many people remaining at the party, so he had a fairly good idea as to who he was to expect by standing there. His heart rate quickened immediately, not expected to be thrust into this situation unprepared.

Right on cue, Baekhyun walked out of the men’s room with a faint smile on his face, wringing his hands and humming something off-tune. The moment he locked eyes with Minseok, his eyes went wide, making him look like a cornered deer. Baekhyun’s eyes darted left and right until he seemed to accept there was no escape, especially not with Kyungsoo glowering somewhere in sight. He took one tentative step after the other in Minseok’s direction until they both stood facing each other beneath a sprig of mistletoe.

“H-hey,” Baekhyun gave Minseok a weak smile in response to Minseok’s nervous and rather forced one. His eyes kept darting about, never landing on Minseok for too long.

“Hey indeed,” Minseok said, his confidence growing as Baekhyun’s seemed to wane. “It’s been a while.”

Baekhyun went tense but his eyes snapped up. “So it has. I’m sorry I didn’t get around to speaking with you more, it was a little difficult to get around with all of this mistletoe.” Baekhyun glanced up at the mistletoe and then at Minseok. “You sure did a great job decorating.”

Minseok knew sarcasm when he heard it, and it was oh so satisfying. “I thought it was fun,” he said, innocently.

“That’s one word for it.”

“You seemed to be enjoying yourself,” Minseok pointed out. As if he hadn’t noticed Baekhyun smiling and laughing throughout the whole party, Baekhyun had enough charisma to draw his eye no matter how far apart they were that night.

Baekhyun gave a nervous giggle and Minseok knew he’d won, but he still waited for Baekhyun’s response.

“Sometimes you have to make the best of things. Bro kisses happen, it’s not weird and it was all in good fun.” That sounded like a resounding win for Minseok.

“Then, shall we?” Minseok prompted, taking a step closer, “One bro to another, of course.”

“I suppose we must,” Baekhyun said. He  _ sounded _ reluctant, but Minseok saw something in his eyes that told him otherwise.

Minseok cupped Baekhyun’s jaw with one hand, thumbing his soft cheeks. Baekhyun actually surprised him by leaning into his touch and he grew bolder. His other arm reached around Baekhyun’s waist, pulling them together until they stood chest to chest and Minseok wondered if Baekhyun could feel the thundering of his heart beneath his sweater.

Minseok didn’t need to do any more than that because it was Baekhyun who closed the distance between them, lips warm and soft against his own. It was an insistent kiss, one with great enthusiasm making him feel as if he was floating on air. It was also laced with a hunger that surprised Minseok as much as it delighted him, lighting a fire that simmered in his gut. He hummed when Baekhyun wove his hands in his hair keeping him in place. For what seemed like an eternity, it was just he and Baekhyun in their own world. A kiss that was well worth the wait. This kiss was everything he had wanted and more.

When they broke apart, Baekhyun’s eyes were shining and his lips berry-red and swollen. They looked at each other for a moment before Baekhyun broke into laughter, a brilliant grin spread across his face.

Minseok was momentarily blinded by his radiance and smiled fondly until he realized something was off. It became clear that there was something he didn’t understand behind Baekhyun’s laughter. He frowned in confusion and wrapped his other arm around Baekhyun until he knew why. It was only when he saw the darkening look on Minseok’s face and felt the tightening grip around him that Baekhyun sobered up. 

“I’m sorry Minseok, I really am,” Baekhyun apologized, wiping a tear from his eye. “I swear I’m not laughing at you, please believe me. That was the best kiss I’ve had probably ever, I just wasn’t expecting it to happen right then. It wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Plan?” Minseok asked, his voice slightly higher than normal.

Baekhyun licked his lips and glanced across the room. It appeared as though he was looking at Jongdae, which Minseok definitely hoped wasn’t the case. If Jongdae had some part in this, after moaning about it all evening, then he was dead meat.

Baekhyun kissed his cheek to get his attention again and Minseok couldn’t even be mad at him for it. With Minseok’s full attention, Baekhyun explained everything in full. “Jongdae told me what you were planning to do from the start through text. I thought it was a dumb plan, but it ended up more fun than I thought it would be. You would have caught me way sooner if I hadn’t known.”

Everything was starting to come together in Minseok’s mind. It  _ had _ seemed as if Baekhyun had been avoiding him on purpose. He supposed he should be grateful Kyungsoo finally cracked and pushed things in the right direction since Jongdae  _ and _ Baekhyun were completely useless.

“Anyway,” Baekhyun continued, “I was planning to give in and walk up to you, but I got, um, a little intimidated by you, which kind of made me lose my nerve. You don’t know how hard it was to watch you kiss everyone in the room, especially when you kiss like  _ that _ .”

Minseok gave him an incredulous look, “What do you mean ‘like  _ that’ _ ?”

Baekhyun blushed even harder but continued anyway, “Look, it’s not easy to approach someone who looks makes everyone they kiss look like they’re sharing the kiss of a lifetime over and over again. I was starting to feel insecure and turned on at the same time. It was a lot to handle.”

“Baekhyun, you idiot.”

Minseok pulled him in for another kiss to wipe the offended look on his face. This time he decided to show him exactly what it felt like to be kissed by him when he actually tried. It was as if someone had lit a fire beneath him; he burned with need as his lips slid against Baekhyun’s. To his credit, Baekhyun’s pretty mouth was good for more than talking, sucking on Minseok’s lips and stoking the fire. He wanted  _ more _ . His hands, cupping Baekhyun’s jaw, tightened, prompting Baekhyun to open his mouth so he could lick inside. Minseok slid his hands down from his Baekhyun’s and along his body. He felt a wave of satisfaction roll through him as Baekhyun groaned.

“Enough!” Kyungsoo announced, banging on a pot to snap them out of it, and then abruptly returning to the kitchen, leaving the two of them blinking in surprise.

They broke apart with reluctance, though Minseok unable to keep the smile off of his face. He leaned in so he could speak directly into Baekhyun’s ear. “It seems like we’re unwanted here. I suggest we take the rest of this conversation somewhere else.”

“Yes,” Baekhyun said once he found his voice, “I think that’s a great idea.”

No sooner than the moment the words were out of his mouth, Kyungsoo had come back from the kitchen and was ready for them. With shocking strength, he pushed them both to the coat check and told Yixing to give them their coats, presumably to make sure they left before Minseok could cause any more chaos.

“You two were the highlight of this party,” Yixing told them, “I didn’t even mind being stuck in here all night because I got to watch everything.”

“Yeah, yeah, just get our coats.” Baekhyun said, his ears were still red, which was extremely cute.

Minseok reached for Baekhyun’s hand and intertwined their fingers together, giving it a light squeeze. He felt a rush of happiness when Baekhyun squeezed his in return. He tried not to give into his urge to kiss Baekhyun’s rosy cheek but failed miserably. He pulled Baekhyun in by his arm and planted a light kiss on his cheekbone.

“What was that for?”

Minseok looked up. He hadn’t missed the chance to catch people at the coat check so, lo and behold, there was a sprig of mistletoe above them. “I’m only following the rules,” he said primly.

Without warning, Baekhyun gave him a peck on the lips. “I believe the rules meant a kiss on the mouth.”

“You two are so cute it’s disgusting. Please go be cute and disgusting somewhere else, it’s making my single ass cry.

Laughing, the two of them said their goodbyes and made their way into the cold December night.

_ – _

“I can’t believe he played us like that,” Baekhyun said once they were outside, his breath coming out like puffs of smoke in the cold air.

It was quiet in the parking lot, with nothing but the cars of partygoers for company. Whirling snowflakes were illuminated by the harsh white light cast by tall lamp posts as they drifted down to the growing blanket that covered every open surface. In the odd, muffled silence that accompanied snowy nights, Minseok felt extremely conscious of Baekhyun’s presence as he stood beside him in the dark. Minseok shivered, trying not to focus on whatever tension may or may not lie between them. It was better to keep things simple.

“I can,” Minseok said with a laugh, "did you know that I was the one who set him up with Junmyeon. I’m not proud of some of the things I did but I firmly believe all of them were worth it. He was probably delighted by the opportunity to do the same. The bastard.”

Baekhyun laughed. “Wow, I didn’t take you for the cupid type boss.”

Minseok winced. “Please don’t call me that outside the office.”

“What would you have me call you then, hmm? Hyung? Daddy? Maybe just Minseok?” he said, getting closer and closer until he was speaking right into Minseok’s ear.

Minseok so dearly wanted to hit him. Or kiss him. He couldn’t decide which.

In the end, Minseok tried to push Baekhyun away, but he was already latched onto Minseok’s arm and walking him to his car. He finally settled on stepping on Baekhyun’s foot once they reached their destination.

After Baekhyun yelped in protest, Minseok said, “You can call me anything you want once you hand in this month’s article on gaming and diets. I want it on my desk tomorrow”

Baekhyun groaned and slouched against Minseok, nearly overbalancing them both in the icy parking lot.

Baekhyun tugged Minseok upright, grinning. “Can we have office sex after?” he asked, changing gears entirely.

Minseok flicked him on the forehead. “Of course not.”

“Ow! Was that necessary?!”

“Yes,” Minseok said, kissing it better before he had time to overthink it.

Baekhyun basically melted into him. He wasn’t looking at Minseok when he next spoke, but he did lean in a little harder. “How about this, if I finish it at your house, can I sleep over?”

Baekhyun’s impertinence was just too much. He was already wearing a terrible, self-satisfied smile, as if he knew he’d already won. Minseok rolled his eyes.

“You’re really pushing it,” Minseok told him.

Baekhyun stepped away to face him and spoke in a more serious tone, “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this. You look so good in that sweater; it’s been killing me all night.”

Minseok snorted, “How can you even appreciate how I look if you’re never in the office?”

Despite the front he was trying to put on for Baekhyun, Minseok was gradually growing warmer despite the icy chill of the December air. He was glad he could blame the flush of his cheeks on the wind. While Baekhyun seemed more than willing to be wrapped around Minseok’s finger, he wasn’t sure whether or not he could handle it. Despite any misgivings, he let Baekhyun continue.

“Honestly, I can’t work with you around,” Baekhyun said quietly, turning so he could draw a heart in the snow in the snow that had gathered on the window of Minseok’s car.

He was far too cute and Minseok was so whipped. He pursed his lips to keep from smiling and took Baekhyun’s hand so he could pull him in close again.

“Then I suppose you better head home, no point in coming to my place if you won’t be able to work. I don’t want to get in the way if you have deadlines to make.”

“What if we did it together?” Baekhyun said, cheeky grin back on his face.

Minseok kissed him, quick and dirty until Baekhyun moaned against his mouth. “I’m pretty sure that would be counterproductive. Actually, I’m certain it will be,” Minseok said with a smirk of his own at Baekhyun’s suffering.

“You might have a point there. Maybe I could ask my boss for an extension.”

If Baekhyun though being cute was going to work on him, he was sorely mistaken. Minseok had spent months building up a tolerance to keep him from getting out of work. “Maybe your boss already gave you one last week. Think of coming over as an incentive for you to finish,” Minseok said. He refused to listen to the voices in his head asking him what the fuck was he doing.

“But we need to see if we’re compatible,” Baekhyun whined.

“I spent the entire night kissing nearly every member in our office and happened to like kissing you the best. I’d say we’re pretty compatible.”

As soon as he said that Baekhyun clammed up entirely, looking just as shy and embarrassed and bashful as Minseok now felt. Just like that, an awkward silence fell that was partly uncomfortable and partly filled with a blooming sense of happiness that seemed to hang between them.

It was Baekhyun who broke the silence first. “Fine, I’ll go do my work, but you have to promise we can have a little fun when I’m done. We also need a way to get back at Jongdae.”

“Don’t you worry about Jongdae, we’ll figure something out,” Minseok said, “As for everything else, I promise I’ll keep my word.” He leaned in and kissed Baekhyun again, sweet and soft before pulling away and getting in his car.

Baekhyun waved as Minseok pulled out of his spot. He was grinning from ear to ear, a sight that had Minseok smiling the entire way home. 

_ – _

“What did you need me for?” Jongdae asked as soon as he entered Minseok’s office the following Monday.

Minseok was a little taken aback when he arrived so soon after he’d sent a text out, requesting a meeting. Jongdae had either been very close to Minseok’s department or had raced here at top speed from his department, two floors up. Minseok had hoped for more time to prepare himself for the revenge plan he and Baekhyun had concocted, but he was going to have to make do with what little he had.

“I wanted to know if you wanted to go for lunch with me,” Minseok said pleasantly.

Jongdae’s expression fell, as if he was expecting something entirely different. “Aren’t you going to tell me how Friday night went?” Jongdae asked, his face falling.

“It’s simple. We held hands, he walked me to my car, we kissed a few times, and then left after I made him promise to do the work I assigned him,” Minseok described, not looking up from his laptop. He already knew Jongdae was looking at him with disgust.

“We went through all that trouble for you to send him off like that?!”

Minseok looked up at him. “Jongdae, we’re adults with lives. If I took him home, we’d have fucked until we were too exhausted to keep going. I’m his boss and I have to be responsible. I promised him something special once he hands me the article.”

“A ‘something’ I am very much looking forward to,” Baekhyun announced, coming up from behind Jongdae, thumping him on the back as he walked up to Minseok’s desk. Baekhyun winked at him and he figured the plan Baekhyun sent him that morning had already been set in motion.

Baekhyun turned on Jongdae, leaning on Minseok’s desk in a way that showed off whatever ass he did have. “Jongdae, I suggest you leave, unless you want to hear exactly what we plan on doing now that I’m finished.”

Opening his email quickly, Minseok saw that Baekhyun’s article was sitting there for him to review. He’d even gotten someone to proofread it beforehand. Minseok felt ridiculously touched despite the fact that this was literally Baekhyun’s job and he shouldn’t have to bribe him to do it properly in the first place.

Baekhyun’s words worked like magic and Jongdae was out of Minseok’s office as fast as he could walk…with a picture of mistletoe taped to the back of his shirt courtesy of Baekhyun.

“When do you think he’ll notice?” Baekhyun asked, laughing.

“When someone has the balls to actually kiss him,” Minseok answered, standing up to look out of his office door with Baekhyun.

Half the people on their floor were watching Jongdae while trying not to be too obvious about it, some noticed the sign immediately while others needed someone to point it out. Muffled laughter could be heard everywhere, especially when Jongdae made an incredibly confused face after Sehun blew a kiss at him, something copied by many others afterward. He seemed to shrug it all off and kept to his business, which only made everything funnier. Minseok had to close his office door so he and Baekhyun could laugh their asses off in peace.

Once they had calmed down, Baekhyun dragged Minseok up to Jongdae’s floor so they could keep watching how this unfolded. At this point, it seemed as if everyone observing was trying to convince one person or another to go up and do the deed, but no one was confident enough to do it. Not even Chanyeol.

“This is ridiculous,” Baekhyun fumed, “I’ll just kiss him myself.”

Minseok grabbed his arm. “No you won’t, look who just walked out of the elevator.”

Baekhyun followed Minseok’s line of sight to find Junmyeon walking towards his boyfriend’s turned back, squinting at the paper sign he saw there. Minseok had to literally cover Baekhyun’s mouth to keep him silent so this development could play out properly.

After Junmyeon realized what the sign read, he looked around the room and seemed to get a general idea of what was going on. Minseok pulled Baekhyun behind a nearby cubicle wall so they couldn’t be seen. Anyone with a brain would figure out they were the ones behind this, knowing what had happened at the party.

When it was safe to look again, they saw Junmyeon pull the sign of off Jongdae’s shirt, making him spin around in surprise, only to find Junmyeon standing there holding the sign that said “Mistletoe”, matching photo and everything. Junmyeon laughed at the look on Jongdae’s face. He probably realized who was behind it all and snatched the paper from Junmyeon’s hands.

Unexpectedly, Jongdae snickered and held it above them before tossing it aside. He pulled Junmyeon towards him and attempted to dip Junmyeon back into a kiss that was followed by flailing arms, a resounding clash, and muffled laughter. Conversely, after their second, less dangerous attempt at kissing, the whole place erupted in cheers and wolf whistles until Junmyeon glared at them all and they returned to their work.

It wasn’t until things had calmed down that Minseok remembered why he’d spent the entire morning locked up in his office in the first place. He had made a pariah of himself at the Christmas party and was a hot topic not only for the quality kisses he gave out so freely, but the whispers about himself and Baekhyun, which had spread around more quickly than he would have thought. He wanted to get away before people started asking questions.

He let go of Baekhyun’s mouth and hissed, “Baekhyun, fast, let’s get back to our department.”

Baekhyun looked at him for a moment but followed him to the elevator without question. Once the doors were shut, Baekhyun remarked, “I see you’re trying to keep away from any more gossip. There’s no escaping the gossip train, Boss, though you do points for trying.”

“You make up half the gossip train Baekhyun, I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned  _ this _ ,” Minseok pointed between the two of them emphatically rather than saying it aloud, “to everyone yet.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun said, innocently.

“You know very well what I’m talking about.”

Baekhyun broke out into that infuriating smile that drove Minseok up the wall. “I haven’t heard any relationship rumours; I’ve only heard you set up that entire stunt just so you could kiss me.”

Minseok knew Baekhyun was well aware of everything behind what happened that night, had even asked to follow him home. “So, what if I did? We both had our fun.”

“You have a point there. It was certainly more effective what I did on Halloween so you’d pay more attention to me. No one even knew the truth, not that it would have made a huge difference.”

Baekhyun’s eyes were sparkling as realization began to dawn on Minseok. Elevator rides only lasted so long and Minseok needed the full story. When the doors opened, Minseok grabbed Baekhyun’s wrist and dragged him into an empty meeting room, away from nosy co-workers.

“What do you mean by that?” Minseok asked as soon as the door was closed. “Are you talking about when you tried to scare the living daylights out of me or when you kissed me?”

“Both,” Baekhyun confirmed. “The rumours about us have been kicking around since even before that, you just fanned the flames on Friday so that it was painfully obvious to everyone.”

“And how do you feel about all of this?”

“Minseok, please don’t make me say it, this is embarrassing as it is. I just want to set things straight. I’ve liked you ever since you shook my hand after my job interview.” Baekhyun was wringing his hands and carefully watching Minseok.

Minseok was more than a little taken aback. He needed a moment to digest that information. “You want me to clarify that we’re something now? That I like you? Baekhyun why on earth would I put up with kissing that many people if I wasn’t completely dedicated to getting my way. I like kissing, but not that much. I had to use half a bottle of mouthwash after and I’m surprised I didn’t wake up with a cold.”

Baekhyun held back a laugh, but his cheeks were pink, and his eyes still shone. “What I’m hearing is that I can call you my boyfriend now?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent,” Baekhyun said, stepping forward and cupping Minseok’s jaw in one smooth motion. Minseok met him halfway in a kiss that felt sweeter than any they’d had the night of the party now that everything made sense.

“Your office?” Baekhyun asked breathlessly after they broke apart. “I think I have something about my article I need to discuss with you.

Endorphins had Minseok feeling like he was walking on clouds. He was practically giddy. “What a coincidence, I was going to ask you about a few things,” Minseok said with a smirk.

They hurried to Minseok’s office and Minseok hastily threw up his “meeting in progress” sign. He turned around to find Baekhyun carefully shifting his things on his desk so he could sit on top of it. He was holding a paper that he’d clearly just taken from his pocket. It was so wrinkled that it was difficult to make out what is was. Minseok squinted and moved closer, noting at the way Baekhyun shifted anxiously.

Mistletoe. Baekhyun held another drawing of mistletoe. Minseok burst out into laughter and walked so he could stand between Baekhyun’s legs, despite bashful protests whenever Minseok tried to wrap him into a tight hug. It didn’t take Baekhyun long to cave though, and Minseok was allowed to wrap his arms around his neck as their lips slid together, stealing his breath away.

They kissed for what felt like forever and only broke apart when Minseok remembered they were still at work. He pulled away, ignoring Baekhyun’s disappointed protests.

“Don’t look like that, you’re very welcome to come over tonight. You finished after all.” Minseok grabbed a business card and scrawled his address on it before handing it to Baekhyun, who took it reverently.

“I had good incentive.”

“Then I think we’ve found ourselves an ideal relationship. I can think of a lot of ways to reward you for your work, among other things. I’m your boss, but not all the time.”

“Strictly speaking, I wouldn’t mind calling you that in bed, it’s kind of hot.”

Minseok gave him a look and he gave up. “Let’s just start with tonight.”

“Sounds good to me. You get off at five, right?” Baekhyun asked, hanging on the door frame,

Minseok leaned back in his office chair. “You should already know the answer to that when you supposedly work for me.”

Baekhyun only winked at him and waltzed back to his own desk, a bounce in his step.

Minseok put his head in his hands, knowing he wouldn’t be able to think about anything else for the rest of the day. 

When he sat up to try and get at least  _ some _ work finished, he noticed Baekhyun’s drawing of mistletoe was still lying on his desk. Thinking back on it, he didn’t regret kissing half the company until he finally kissed the one he really wanted, especially not when the one he wanted to kiss was equally enthusiastic about kissing him back. He was, however, completely and totally done with mistletoe for a good long while. He quickly snatched up the drawing and meant to toss it in the recycling but decided to fold it and put it in his desk drawer instead, just in case he ever needed it again.

**Author's Note:**

> ** My Twitter [daejakyu](https://twitter.com/daejakyu)  
> ** My [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/daejakyu)
> 
> **SUCHEN EXTRA (because I can):**
> 
> Jongdae settled back down beside Junmyeon, who was picking at his stuffing and staring at Minseok, who had his hands in Yixing's hair over by the coat check.
> 
> "He's not going to stop, no mater how many daggers you stare at him," Jongdae told him.
> 
> The crease between Junmyeon's brows only deepened. "I can't believe he went this far for that idiot. He's kissed half the company by now and I have no idea what mayhem this will cause when we get back to the office. He's a menace. Forget mistletoe, he's a mistlehoe."
> 
> Jongdae couldn't help it, he burst out laughing, burying his head in Junmyeon's neck as he tried to stifle his giggles. His wonderful boyfriend was absolutely right. Minseok the mistlehoe. He was going to make this spread like wildfire as revenge.
> 
> Once he'd calmed down enough to look up, he saw Junmyeon looking rather proud of himself for making Jongdae laugh. For once, Jongdae felt he deserved all the pride he got and pressed a kiss against his smiling mouth.
> 
> Junmyeon immediately looked up, checking for mistletoe and Jongdae had to guide his head downwards.
> 
> "I'm allowed to kiss you just because, you do know that?"
> 
> Junmyeon blushed, "I can't seem to make-out if this is real or not."
> 
> "You didn't."
> 
> "I did."
> 
> "You're the worst."
> 
> "You're the one who helped hang the mistletoe, I said I'd play by the rules."
> 
> Jongdae sighed, standing up and pulling Junmyeon with him. "Your puns will be the death of me. Let's go find some mistletoe so I can stick my tongue in your mouth and make you stop."
> 
> He rolled his eyes at Junmyeon's smug smile, but felt warmth spreading from his core. Perhaps the Mistlehoe wasn't so bad at planning parties after all. Not that he'd ever admit that to his face.


End file.
